Portable oxygen-generating apparatus.



No. 739,723. PATENTED'SEPT. 22, 1903. A. ROSENBERG.

PORTABLE OXYGEN GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATIOK FILED MAR. 26. 1903.

10 MODEL. 4 SHEETS- 8333! 1.

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PORTABLE OXYGEN GENERATING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 26. lgos.

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PATBNTED SEPT. 22, 1.903.

A. ROSENBERG. PORTABLE OXYGEN GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR, 26, 1903.

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i V I No. 739,723. PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903.

I A. ROSENBERG. PORTABLE OXYGEN GENERATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1903. H0 MODEL. 4 BHEBTSSHEET 4.

WLZ/VEJSES #wzflroa fluyuaiusfisenezy UNITE STATES- 9 Patented September 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS ROSENBERG, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL OXY-GENERATOB SYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF LON- DON, ENGLAND.

PORTABLE oxvc EN-GENERATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,723, dated September 22, 1903.

Application filed March 26, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS ROSENBERG, engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 21 Southampton Row, London, W. 0., England, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in POPE? able Oxygen-Generating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to portable oxygengenerating apparatus for use in military signaling and the like under circumstances such that the apparatus is liable to be exposed to wind and rain, the apparatus being distinguished from others hitherto in use by being entirely self-contained both as regards the generating apparatus itself and the fuel for heating it, as well as for feeding the limelight signaling-lamp, by its capability for rapid, steady, and continuous generation of oxygen, its extreme handiness, compactness, and portability, and by its general adaptation to the practical requirements of military service.

The object of the invention is primarily to prevent loss of heat and avoid the consequent delay in starting the signaling operations or the'interruption of the gas-generating operation, particularly when carried on in a situation exposed to wind or rain, also to enable the operation to proceed continuously and the gas to beat same time used without the employment of more that one gasholding bag, and, further, to enable all the requisites for the generation of, say, forty cubic feet of oxygen to be quickly packed in a small box, so as to form but one package for transport.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a perspective View of the case or box in which all the parts of the apparatus are packed for transport. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the case open and the apparatus as packed within it, the lamp alone being partly drawn out of its place. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective with the casing partly broken out, showing the relative disposition of the parts or elements when my improved apparatus is set up for use; and

of the box, as shown in Fig. 3.

Serial No. 14943753. (No model.)

Fig. 3 is a similar View of the gas bag and connections per .92. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are details drawn to a larger scale.

'A is the case in the form of a rectangular sheet-metal box measuring (for forty cubic feet gas production) about fifteen inches by seven inches by twelve inches deep, provided with a lid B, hinged at back and secured at front by turn-buttons l 1, the case having at the lower part of the front a. fall-down liapdoor 0, hinged at bottom and secured by turn-buttons 2 2.

L is the lamp for heating the retorts.

R R are two retorts for use alternately.

W is the wash vessel; F, the reservoir of liquid fuel both for the lamp L and for the lime-light signaling-lamp, which is of a kind adapted to burn alcohol or liquid h-ydrocar bon instead of hydrogen, and M a storagebox for the cakes of oxygen-producing mixture. The case A, in which all these requisites are packed for transport, is also utilized as a shelter and heat-retainer for protecting the lamp and retorts from the weather during the gas-generatin g operation. For the purpose of supporting the retort Within the case while being heated the case is provided internally with a horizontal grid or frame consisting, preferably, of a pair of horizontal bars 3 3, supported near the ends of the case by crossbars 4 4, having ears 5 riveted to the front and back of the case, the frame thus serving to brace aud-stifien the case against the tendency to warp under violent changes of temperature, the bars 3 forming a seat for the retort R while being heated by thelamp L, which is placed beneath it in the lower part This lower part is accessible by means of the fall-down flap-door C at the front for placing the lamp in position and for packing away the box M, the reservoir F, and the lamp L. The upper part "or the box A is accessible by the top cover B for placing the retort in position on the bars 3 and for packing away the retorts R and washing-tank W.

When the apparatus is in use, asshown in Fig. 3, the front flap G is shut, so that the lamp L, placed within the lower part of the case, is so inclosed as to be elfectually shielded from wind. most completely closed, as shown, the supply of air necessary to maintain combustion being admitted and the products of combustion being allowed to escapeby the lid B being only slightly raised and supported in that position on an adjustable prop 6, capable of being lowered out of the way when the lid B is closed, the delivery-pipe 7 from the retort passing out through a notch 9 in the upper edge of the one orother end wall 8 of the case A. The lamp and retort are thus thoroughly protected from rain as well as from wind, and.

the heat generated being confined within the box is fully utilized whatever the state of the weather instead of being largely wasted, as would otherwise be the case even in fine weather.

In order to enable the generation of oxygen to be continuously carried on, two retorts are provided, which are charged and heated alternately, the length of the grid 3 4 sufficing to permit of the freshly-charged retort being placed within the casing in order that it may be preliminarily heated before generation of gas from the other retort has ceased, so that interruption in the production of the gas may be minimized.

In order to enable the oxygen gas-to be used as fast as it is generated, and notwithstanding the employment of "ly a single gas-bag to prevent interrnptio.. til the supply of the gas to the signaling-lamp while the retorts are being changed, the delivery-tube 7 of the retort is provided at its point of inlet to the washing-tank W with a non-return valve to prevent water being forced back by the pressure on the water in the washing-tank when the retort is disconnected. The gas-bag G is provided. with inlet and outlet pipe connections 10 11, the inlet-pipe 10 being connected to the outlet from the washing-tank W and being also furnished with a non-return valve to prevent back pressure from the bag to the washing-tank. The outlet-pipe 11 from the bag G, which is furnished with a stop-cock 12, is connected to the jet of the lime-light lamp, so that the gas flows directly through the baginstead of in and out by the same pipe connection, as usual. The non-return valve at the wash-tank inlet isshown in detail in Fig. 4 and is formed (like the valve of a pneumatic tire) by a sheath of rubber tubing 13 tightly encircling the metal inlet-tube 14, which is closed at the end, as at 15, and has lateral orifices 16, covered by the rubber sheath.

The preferred form of inlet connection to the gas-bag G is shown in detail in Fig. 5 and comprises a tube 17, secured within the inlet-aperture of the bag and furnished at its outer end with a nipple 18 for the connection of the flexible tube 10, leading from the washing-tank W, the nipple when the gas-bag is disconnected being protected from the entry of dirt by a screwed plug 19, attached by a The lid B may also be al-- swivel and chain 20. The inner end of the tube 17 is closed. by a screwed plug 21, forming the abutment for a light spiral spring 22, which presses a ball-valve 23 against a seat 24 within the tube 17, which has lateral'openings 25 between the seat 24 and plug 21 for the passage of the' gas. The nipple-outlet from the delivery stop-cock 12 is preferably, when the gas-bag is disconnected from the lime-light jet, closed by a screwed plug similar to 19, above described.

In the drawing Fig. 3 the gas-bag G is for convenience shown as of relatively much smaller dimensions than would usually be employed in actual practice.

The storage-box M is of sheet metal with a hinged lid 26 and is divided by partitions 27 into compartments, each adapted to hold several cakes 28 of the oxygen-producing mixture employed, these cakes being shaped to fit neatly within the retorts R.

The liquid-fuel reservoir F consists of a (preferably rectangular) sheet-metal box having an aperture near one end of thecover provided with a decanting-bib 29 and closed by a screwed plug 30.

The retorts R are of the usual type, comprising a cylindrical pot-body 31, adapted to fit between the bars 3 3 and to rest thereon by a flange 32, the retort being closed by a domed cover 33, secured by a set-screw 34, passing through an arched yoke 35, whose ends 36 take under the flange 32. The first portion of the delivery-tube 7 is of metal and is connected tothe side of a central upward extension 37 of the domed cover, the tube being bent so as to extend first upwardly and then horizontally, as shown, so asto be adapted to lie snugly between the wash vessel W and the lid B of the case A when packed for transport, the tube 7 resting securely when in use in one of the notches 9 in the end walls of the casing A. This metal tube 7 forms a convenient handle for the retort.

The lamp L comprises a (preferably rectangular) reservoir having a wiektube 38 screwing through acentral opening in the cover, ventilation being provided by means of small holes 39 in the cover around the base of the wick-tube, which, together with the holes, is covered by a screw-cap 40 when the lamp is not in use. Spirits of wine is the preferred fuel, and it is found that notwithstanding the high temperature attained within the casing A the lamp'body or reservoir when formed of sheet metal remains sufficiently cool if kept bright.

The wick, which is of special construction, is shown in detail in Fig. 6 and consists of a number of loose strands 41, of cotton, held together by a sleeve or sheathing 42, of plaited or braided material similar to an ordinary cylindrical lamp-wick. Such a wick combines the high capillary properties of independent or loose strands with the compactness and coherence of a woven wick and can be stored, carried, and cut into lengths as required and stares inserted in the burner of the lamp much more readily than the loose wicks heretofore gene erally used,

The wash vessel W consists of a (preferably rectangular) sheet-metal box having the' inlet and outlet pipe connections in the top wall near its opposite ends. The inlet-pipe l4,

'which is removable and carries ,the non-return valve already described, is fixed by screwing through an aperture in the top Wall and is flanged, as at 43, so as to make a gastight joint therewith, the pipe 14 extending to near the bottom of the vessel. The inletpipe terminates outwardly in a nipple 44 for the attachment of the flexible-pipeconnection from the delivery-tube 7 of the retort. The outlet from the wash vessel consists of a nipple 45 for the attachment of the flexiblepipe connection 10 to the gas-bag. The filling-apertureof the wash vessel, which is closed by a screw-plug 46, is in the end wall of the vessel next to the outlet-nipple 45, so that when this end of the vessel is turned uppermost for the purpose of filling the vessel with water the nipple 45 serves as an overflow-gage.

To enable the case A to be carried by hand, (or slung over the shoulder,) a bail-handle 47 is provided, consisting of a strap extending longitudinally over the lid B of the case and detachably secured to the ends of the case by means of turn-buttons 48, the strap being engaged in and steadied by notches 49, formed in the beaded ends of the lid.

I claiml. A portable apparatus of the character described, comprising a box or casing having.

a hinged lid and provided with a fall-down flap at the front thereof, a stiffening-grid within the box constructed of transverse and longitudinal bars having lugs detachablysecured to the sides of the box,.said box having notches in the upper edges of the end walls thereof, an adjustable prop for said lid, and a retort provided with a flange for resting upon said longitudinal bars of the grid, said retort having a delivery-tube adapted to rest in either of said notches, substantially as set forth.

2. A portable apparatus of the character described, comprisinga box or casing having a hinged lid and provided with a fall-down vflap at the front thereof, a stifiening-grid within the box constructed of transverse and longitudinal bars having lugs detachably secured to the sides of the box, said box having notches inthe upper edges of the end walls thereof, an adjustable prop for said lid, and a retort provided with a flange for resting forth.

. uponsaid ldngitudinal bars of the grid, said 3. A portable described,comprising a box or casing having a hinged lid and provided with a fall-down flap at the front thereof, a stiffening -grid within the box constructed of transverse and longitudinal bars having lugs detachably secured to the sides of the box, said box having notches in the upper edges of the end walls thereof, an adjustable pro'pfor said lid, a retort provided with a flange for resting upon said longitudinal bars of the grid, said retort having a delivery-tube adaptedto rest in either of said notches, and said box or casing containing a liquid-reservoir, a storage-box, a washing-tank, and a gas-bag, substantially as set forth.

4 A portable apparatus of the character described, comprising a box or casing having a hinged lid and provided with a fall-down flap at the front thereof, a stidening-grid within the box constructed of transverse and longitudinal bars having lugs detachably secured to the sides of the box, said box having notches in the upper edges of the end walls thereof, an adjustable prop for said lid, a

retort provided with a flange for resting upon said longitudinal bars of the grid, said retort .having a delivery-tube adapted to rest in 5. A portable apparatus of the character described, comprising a box or casing having a hinged .lid and provided with a fall-down flap at the front thereof, a stiffeninggrid within the box constructed of transverse and longitudinal bars having lugs detachably secured to the sides of the box, said box having notches in the upper edges of the endwalls thereof, an adjustable prop for said lid, a retort provided with a flange for resting upon said longitudinal bars of the grid, said retort having a delivery-tube adapted to rest in either of said notches, and provided with a cover or closure combined with a securingyoke and screw therefor, and said tube being provided with a non-return valve at the delivery end thereof, substantially as set forth. I

AUGUSTUS ROSENBERG. lVitnesses:

O. G. CLARK, T. W. KENNARD.

apparatus of the character IIO 

